After the Fact

Margaret Arnesen, a public health data specialist at The Pew Charitable Trusts, explains how officials traced a cyclospora outbreak from one case to thousands. They explore disease reporting, privacy barriers, state and federal data sharing, and how fax-based systems slow response. The conversation also examines wastewater surveillance, electronic reporting, and linking health data with social services to spot threats sooner.

This year, suicide reentered the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States. And although it can be a difficult topic to discuss, speaking openly about suicide risk can be the first step toward reducing stigma and connecting people to the help they need. In this episode, we'll hear about who may be most at risk, including student athletes, and how tailored prevention programs can offer hope and support. And we'll learn about how mental health resources at the University of Washington helped members of the women's soccer team support each other through grief and loss. If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or visit 988lifeline.org and click on the chat button.

Matthew Gribble, a UCSF environmental health scientist, investigates harmful algal blooms and their toxins. The conversation follows red tide from ocean ecosystems to seafood, coastal fisheries, and human health. It explores why cooking may not remove toxins, the risks of chronic exposure, and how poisoned marine mammals can warn of changing ocean conditions.

Barb Peterson, a devout Catholic mother navigating family faith, and Catherine Peterson, her millennial daughter who stepped away from active practice, talk about generational spiritual change and family dynamics. Greg Smith, a Pew Research Center researcher, explains nationwide trends like the rise of the religiously unaffiliated and shifting patterns across generations.

The fertility rate in the U.S. hit another record low in 2025, with 20% fewer babies born that year compared to 20 years ago, indicating that women are continuing to wait longer to have children. This was a growing trend when this episode originally aired in 2019, where a Pew researcher explains the data behind this change in the American family and two mothers share why they waited to have children.

Nearly 800 million people around the world live within 62 miles of a volcano. But what if scientists could better predict a volcanic eruption before it begins? In this re-release from our "Scientists at Work" series, originally published in 2020, we go behind the scenes at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History to talk with geologist and volcanologist Ben Andrews. His job is to answer three key questions about volcanoes around the world: When will an eruption happen, how big could the eruption be, and how fast?

Kayla Sa, a Brazilian-born immunologist turned neuroscience researcher and Pew Latin American Fellow, studies persistent post-COVID symptoms and autoimmunity. She talks about using AI to map diverse symptom patterns, grouping patients into subtypes, and how antibody-driven mechanisms could point to targeted treatments. She also discusses returning to Brazil to build accessible, patient-focused science.

America has a milestone birthday coming up: This July, the nation will turn 250. As many pause to reflect on the past 250 years, there's also an opportunity to think about our shared future. While political polarization remains one of the greatest challenges to our democracy, with 65% of Americans saying that they feel exhausted when thinking about politics because of deep partisan divisions, we have more in common than current politics suggest. According to a 2025 Gallup poll, 8 in 10 Americans support compromise between political leaders, and two-thirds agree that democracy—despite its flaws—remains the best form of government. In this episode of "After the Fact," we speak to Pew's CEO, Susan K. Urahn, and curiosity expert Scott Shigeoka, fresh from the TED Democracy Philadelphia: Founding Futures event, about how the American "experiment" is going, the state of democracy today, and how we can collectively strengthen the foundation of our nation for the next 250 years.

Nina Albert, D.C. deputy mayor overseeing housing production goals. Miss Titi (Elizabeth), a shelter worker whose move into stable housing illustrates vacancy-chain effects. Evan Mast, a housing economist who traces how new construction ripples through markets. They discuss how adding market-rate units creates downstream vacancies, the vacancy-chain research method, and local policy targets and outcomes.

With the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States, the youngest generation of lawmakers is demonstrating how they're working together more effectively and rebuilding trust in U.S. democracy. Layla Zaidane, who leads Future Caucus, shares how the organization supports millennial and Gen Z elected leaders in Congress and state legislatures who are collaborating on bipartisan policy solutions. Amid declining trust in U.S. democracy, she tells us why its model is working and why it's a reason for hope—with data indicating that these young lawmakers are 24% more effective than their peers.